A Designer's Affection
by Cakedecorator
Summary: Sequel to "A Criminal's Love." Three months into their relationship and Marinette could not be happier with her sordid romance with Cat Noir. But when Adrien starts talking to his best friend about his plans and future with Marinette, he realizes something: Cat Noir is in the lover-zone, but Adrien Agreste is still in the friend-zone. What's he gonna do? Rated T to be safe.


**To all that reviewed who asked for more... Well, ask and you shall receive! Here's the sequel to "A Criminal's Love!" We fast-forward about three months and Marinette has fallen for her strapping black cat crook HARD. But it seems like her coworker, Adrien, has caught her eye, too. Is this trouble in paradise for Marinette, or good news for Cat Noir?**

 **Before we roll the camera, for all of you security and electric people out there, I honestly have no idea how these things work. I'm just making it up as I go, but please don't bash me for it.**

 **Oh, and I SHOULD warn you that there may or may not be some M-rated content in here. THERE WON'T BE _ANYTHING_ GRAPHIC. I just put this warning in here as a safety net. **

* * *

Everything was going according to plan. Over the past few months, Cat Noir had won Marinette over. She was absolutely _crazy_ over the black cat. And Adrien could tell. Every time he brought her a gift, she would wear it to work, or somehow incorporate it into her ensemble the next day. For example, she would wear the flowers in her hair and wear a matching outfit.

And though she remained professional on the job, Marinette was clearly in high spirits as of late. She was humming and sighing, smiling wistfully, etc. It was palpable to everyone around her.

Whenever Adrien _was_ in the building, which was usually when his father needed him to model for a new campaign, he would check on Marinette and casually ask about the gifts. Being a model, he learned some acting skills, so he was able to give the impression of curiosity without sounding jealous or invasive. It really helped.

And this very morning, Marinette walked in with a big smile on her face, and humming along to Britney Spears' "Criminal." She was wearing a bracelet. It was a thin, silver chain that had a ruby ladybug charm on it.

Adrien chuckled. He had bought her that bracelet as Adrien, and gave it to her as Cat Noir. Adrien made it a personal rule to _never_ give her stolen goods, _never_ go overboard with the gifts (especially the price tag), and to _never_ pay for the presents with dirty money. Not only would that get her in trouble if he ever got caught, but she would certainly resent him for stealing gifts for her. And losing the love and affection of the future mother of his future kids was the last thing he wanted.

"Morning, Marinette." Adrien said. He had finished up his meeting with his father. He wanted not only an excuse to see his crush, but also to get a read on her feelings for Cat Noir, just in case he had to step up his game.

"Morning, Adrien." Marinette replied in a singsong tone. Her head was _definitely_ in the clouds, and unknown to her, Adrien knew why.

"You certainly seem happy today." Adrien commented offhandedly.

Marinette nodded and said, "I am."

"Does it have anything to do with that bracelet?" Adrien asked, trying his best to look innocent.

Marinette looked at the bracelet she was wearing and she smiled before saying, "You might say that."

Adrien's heart soared with several happy emotions. He was delighted that Marinette loved the bracelet, even at work. This meant that his strategy at wooing her was working. _And_ he was relieved that she kept her answer clear enough that it satisfied anyone who asked without giving away any details.

"Well, I hope you have a good rest of your day." Adrien said, before chuckling and leaving his sweet Marinette to her work.

Marinette was relieved that Adrien supposedly did not suspect anything.

Yes, Marinette's happy mood _was_ due to the bracelet. The previous night was another romantic one, thanks to a sweet, albeit rogue kitty. Cat Noir had paid her another visit.

 _~Flashback~_

 _She was on her balcony, designing some new clothes. Marinette was so engaged in her design session that she did not register the footfalls behind her. Her black cat beau was surprised that Marinette did not notice he had arrived. So, he decided to play a little game with her._

 _He tiptoed up to her, and he gently placed his hands over his eyes, asking, "Guess who?"_

 _"Kitty?" Marinette playfully asked him._

 _"Right on, my Purrincess," Cat Noir chuckled. She groaned at the pun. "I got a present for you. Could you keep your eyes closed for a second?"_

 _Marinette nodded, showing consent. Cat Noir came around, took her hand and lifted her arm upright. He let go, and she held her arm still. Nodding, Cat Noir took out a jewelry box and fiddled around with it._

 _Marinette kept her arm upright and her eyes closed. She heard the tinkling noise of metal on what sounded like glass. Marinette felt something cold, yet gentle wrap around her wrist._

 _"You can open your eyes now, mon cher." Cat Noir said._

 _Marinette opened her eyes, and they widened with awe and joy. She saw the bracelet she was now wearing was a thin, silver chain that had a beautiful ruby charm on it, and it was shaped like a ladybug._

 _"Oh, kitty... I... I love it!" Marinette squealed, before leaping on to her criminal boyfriend and started kissing his lips something silly._

 _Cat Noir took this without any hesitation and started kissing back. He ran his hand through her hair, used his other hand to rub her back, all while Marinette hugged him by the neck. The two of them were sharing kiss after kiss, their surroundings completely melting away. They stayed in that position for a while._

 _~End of Flashback~_

Marinette sighed happily at the memory, and kept staring at her bracelet.

It was not the first time she got a present from Cat Noir. Not at all. Though she told him otherwise, he was adamant about giving her gifts such as flowers, jewelry, fashion design materials, and chocolates. At first, she was hesitant to accept gifts from a thief. But he insisted that he paid for everything that he brought for her, and he included the receipts to prove it. That eased her worries.

They were seeing each other almost every night whenever he was not out and about causing misfortune to everyone else. While she was constantly telling him that what he was doing was wrong, he would always brush it off. And when she tried to protest or demand answers, Cat Noir would not hesitate to stop her in the middle of her spiel with a kiss. Then one thing would lead to another and they would be making out like there was no tomorrow, all questions evaporating like a puff of smoke.

Marinette knew it was wrong to be romantically involved with a criminal. And not just any criminal, but the most infamous one in the city. But she did not care. All they did was watch movies, kiss, cuddle, play board games, eat dinner together, etc. It was not like they were breaking the law when he was with her. He _did_ promise her not to involve her in his crimes. She was still a bit doubtful of him at first when he told her this, but she took a chance and decided to trust him. Thus far, he did not break that trust. He may be a criminal, but just like he said when they first met, he had standards and values. He never hurt her. He never insulted her. He never lied to her. Sure, he was secretive with his past and his reasons, but that was information that he had the right to keep private.

Overall, she was happy with her romance with Cat Noir, even if one could call it illicit.

Marinette heaved one more happy sigh before going back to work.

Adrien smirked in triumph. His plan was working. Marinette was absolutely in love with Cat Noir, and now all he had to do was keep it up until he felt it was time to tell her the truth.

As he began to walk to the exit, his phone went off a bit. He looked up and saw a text from Nino.

Nino: "How's Operation: Woo the Princess coming along?"

Adrien: "So far so good. We can talk about it at my place in say, 30?"

Nino: "*Thumbs up and perfect sign emojis*"

Adrien stole a glance back at Marinette before continuing on his way. He had to rendezvous with Nino and talk about his next step.

* * *

Just like they agreed, Nino and Adrien had met up at the latter's apartment within half an hour. As always, Adrien double-checked to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. As soon as he was sure that the coast was clear, he shut the door and locked it.

"Okay, we're good," Adrien said, sighing in relief. "Thanks for dropping by, Nino."

"What's with the double-checking, man?" Nino asked. "It's only me."

"I know," Adrien replied. "I know, but I don't take any chances when it comes to my _night job_."

Nino gave an understanding nod of his head. He knew what Adrien meant by "night job." The two men walked into Adrien's large bedroom, and they sat on the bed.

"So, status report on your love life?" Nino teased.

"It's nothing short of _purrfect_ _,_ Nino," Adrien confidently stated, eliciting a groan from his DJ BFF. "The presents I give her seem to be working and she and I are so affectionate with each other. Marinette's _clearly_ head-over-heels for this _smitten kitten_ and all I can say is that she and I will be tomcat and wife-"

"Once you get out of the friend-zone." Nino interrupted.

"What do you mean, "get out of the friend-zone," Nino?" Adrien asked, confused that his best friend would say something like that. "Marinette and I-"

"You mean Marinette and _Cat Noir_ are an item, but _Adrien Agreste_ is still in the friend-zone with her." Nino elaborated.

Adrien was silent for a bit. Why was Nino wording it like that? Just as he was pondering over his friend's cryptic statement, the meaning dawned on him: Nino was saying that Marinette was in love with only _one side_ of the entire man.

"...Y-You're right! _Cat Noir's_ in the lover-zone, not _Adrien!_ " Adrien said, face-palming.

"Bingo." Nino stated, giving Adrien a finger gun.

 _Just frickin' great!_ Of all the things to forget, it _had_ to be that Marinette only saw Adrien's civilian side as a friend!

"What am I going to do?" Adrien asked aloud, unsure of what he should do.

"Well, did you try acting like Cat Noir around her?" Nino suggested.

The gears in Adrien's head were turning at this question, before replying, "Now that I think about it... No, I haven't."

"Then why not give that a go?" Nino asked.

Adrien paused. Maybe Nino was on to something. If it was his Cat Noir personality that Marinette was utterly enamored with, then maybe acting a little like Cat Noir _as Adrien_ would be the key to getting closer to his goal...

Adrien immediately put on the breaks at that. What if he blew his cover?! What if she clued in to his secret, and became so disillusioned with him that she _did_ turn him in to the police?! What if...?!

"If it's your secret identity you're worried about, you might be overthinking it," Nino said, placing a hand on his shoulder and stopping Adrien's train go thought. "Once you tell her the truth and explain yourself from the beginning, I'm sure she'll be accepting of it. It might take a while for her to process it, though."

Adrien sighed in relief. He could always count on Nino to help him and keep him in line.

"Okay, I'll try," Adrien said, giving his best friend a confident smile. "Once I see her tomorrow, I'll channel Cat Noir, and..."

Just then, a fairly loud, electronic beeping sound started going off from somewhere. Adrien grew a smirk on his face and then turned to his desk and walked over to it. His laptop was on top of the desk, but Adrien pulled open the desk drawer. At first, the drawer seemed completely empty, but Adrien pressed a button underneath the drawer. A compartment door at the bottom of the drawer opened up to reveal a black tablet that had his green paw print symbol on the cover. He opened the cover and saw that the tablet was revealing his latest mark.

Nino looked over Adrien's shoulder and saw his friend's target for that evening. It looked like the museum was hosting an exhibit about cats and how different cultures viewed or valued them in ancient times. And one of the main items on exhibit was a stone sculpture of the Egyptian goddess Bastet that had black diamonds on it.

"Time for this wildcat to go on the hunt tonight," Adrien snickered. "And this museum is just _asking_ for a bit of bad luck."

 _"Are you nuts?!"_ Nino asked, trying to discourage him. "You _know_ Marinette doesn't like your criminal work!"

"That won't keep me from doing it," Adrien laughed. "Besides, every time she tries to beg me to stop, I steal the sweetest, most addictive kisses from her."

"At least that's something she doesn't mind you stealing," Nino sighed. "That aside, you know how tight security is at those museums. Just be careful."

"I always am," Adrien smugly stated. "It wouldn't do for my Princess not to have her _Purrince_ Charming around to love and protect her."

Nino, exasperated with Adrien's joking, said, "Okay, one: you're a rogue, not a prince. Two: Marinette can protect herself."

Adrien smirked and told Nino, "One: _Aladdin_ was a rogue, but he became a prince once he and Jasmine were married. Two: I know Marinette's capable on her own. My first meeting with her as Cat Noir showed me that."

Nino face-palmed. Adrien was incorrigible.

* * *

That evening at the museum, closing time was coming upon them and everything was slowing down. Fewer patrons were coming and going and the security was getting loose. Up in the ventilation ducts, Cat Noir was looking at his target through the grate.

There it was: the Bastet statue.

"Target sighted," He said with a toothy smirk. "Now just to knock out the power and security system..."

He started crawling around in the ducts, being even quieter than a mouse.

Another one of his superpowers was night vision. This was given to him when he was wearing his suit and mask, just like his Cataclysm. As a result, he was able to see where he was going in pitch black dark as if it were daytime. This was another asset he had that helped him stay one step ahead of the law.

Cat Noir continued moving around the chutes until he came upon the museum's security hub. It was a small room that was hidden away from the main part of the museum. The guard was there, and Cat Noir had to commend him on his diligence to the job. He loved a challenge and sedulous cops and guards were a welcome obstacle.

He continued on and found the generator room. No one was in there, so he moved the grate and dropped down on the floor, landing on his feet. Cat Noir smirked at the sight of the main generator. He lifted his hand up.

Though he was able to use his Cataclysm to destroy anything he wanted at will, he could also use it to cause technology and equipment to go on the fritz and fail. Or just bad luck in general. And he could use it multiple times if he wanted. He decided to only use it as a last-ditch effort. Otherwise, what would be the fun in destroying everything? There would be no challenge.

 _"Cataclysm!"_ Cat Noir declared, keeping his voice down.

He placed his hand against the generator's keypad and screen, and then it fizzled out into static. There was a big *KABOOM* noise and then smoke exploded from in the inside out. Then electrical sparks started zapping around the cables and wires in the room. The lights in the room and all over the museum flickered before going completely dark.

As to be expected, people were murmuring and clamoring in fright, and the security guards everyone started scrambling to find out what was going on. Cat Noir took his baton and used it to get back inside the ducts. He took the grate up and put it back where it belonged. Just because the lights were out did not mean the security was out for the count.

He doubled back to the security office and saw that the guard was gone as soon as he saw that all the lights were out. Either way, there was no way he was going to go and steal the statue without making sure the security was completely out of the way. So, Cat Noir broke into the empty security office and found the main hub of the system.

 _"Cataclysm!"_ Cat Noir said, before placing his hand against the system hub. The hub made a strange buzzing noise and then all of the security cameras, alarms, infrared sensors, what have you, completely failed.

He climbed back up into the ducts again and crawled back to the grate where he found the statue. Everyone was being evacuated out of the building. Once he felt there were no civilians in the vicinity and that the cops were far away enough, Cat Noir broke through the duct and landed on top of the statue's case.

He used his baton to smash the case, and then he snatched up the statue before making a getaway. As he started to run through the museum, he heard the pounding of running footsteps and saw that there were several guards and officers nearby. He took the baton off of his back and started smacking cops left and right.

One cop used his stick to try and hit Cat Noir in the head, but the sneaky cat ducked and did a low sweep kick to knock him off his feet. He then jumped onto the cop's back, leaped off, and then kicked another officer in the chest before giving him a karate chop to the next. He did a back flip and landed beside the down-for-the-count police officers.

Another cop tried to sneak up behind him, but Cat Noir smacked him in the face with the back of his fist without batting an eye. He then elbowed the cop in the stomach before grabbing him by the sleeve. He flipped the officer over his shoulder into the growing pile of people. Cat Noir sensed someone else behind him and he turned around to come face-to-face with another guard.

"Cat Noir, you're..." The guard began, but then Cat Noir kicked him up in the chin, knocking the uniformed man out.

Once all of the police were on the ground, Cat Noir gracefully leaped out of the window with his ill-gotten gains and ran off into the night.

* * *

The next morning, Marinette was at her desk in the office. She was looking over the morning newspaper's headline.

 ** _Cat Noir Steals Bastet Statue!_**

Just seeing it made her depressed, and she gave a resigned sigh. No matter how many times she tried to plead for him to stop, he continued his thievery. But then again, he had been stealing and wreaking havoc on Paris for _years_. Long before he met and fell in love with her.

 _'Old habits die hard, I guess. I hope he got out of there okay.'_ Marinette thought, putting the newspaper down.

She had preached to him time and time again that she was concerned for his safety. Another reason she wanted him to stop being a thief. There were a few times where she noticed he had a minor scrape or bruise and she took it upon himself to patch him up. Every time she did, Cat Noir would sweep her into passionate kisses out of gratitude.

Just thinking about the kisses that Cat Noir would shower her with made her face turn as red as her cardigan jacket. And she wondered if her black cat boyfriend had gotten out of that museum unscathed, she head a knock on her cube.

Marinette put the newspaper down before turning to her left. She saw that Adrien was there and gave her a concerned facial expression.

"I heard that sigh," Adrien said, trying to sound worried. "What's the matter?"

Marinette internally grimaced before telling Adrien, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit depressed from the headline."

It was no big deal to tell Adrien that reading some bad news made her feel a bit down. It happened to everyone.

Unbeknownst to her, Adrien knew _why_ the news made her depressed. She cared about Cat Noir _so much_ and just wanted him to be safe.

"I can understand why," Adrien said, giving Marinette a sympathetic smile, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's scary stuff. And knowing you, you're probably worried about those who fell victim to that mangey alley cat."

 _'Yeah, but the only ones who Cat Noir hurts are those who get in his way. Namely, the cops.'_ Marinette thought, but knew that Adrien had her pegged.

"You're right," Marinette said, trying not to tip Adrien off that she knew Cat Noir on a personal basis. "I _am_ worried."

"You're so sweet, Marinette," Adrien began, before beginning to act like Cat Noir. "Sweeter than chocolate."

Marinette blushed before whipping her head around to look at Adrien in surprise. She was giving him an owlish expression. All he did was return it with one of his model smiles.

Marinette felt her heart pounding a bit faster at the compliment. And for some reason, there was something familiar about this interaction with Adrien.

 _'Wh... What?'_ Marinette thought, as she examined him.

 _'Bullseye.'_ Adrien thought, smirking to himself. He could tell that his unexpected compliment was working, because Marinette was blushing. He usually saved these sort of praises for her when he was Cat Noir, but in order for him to go forwards with his plans to marry Marinette, he had to win her over as Adrien.

Marinette, realizing she was staring at him, coughed into her fist and then turned back to her desk.

"Th-Thank you." Marinette said, her face still tinted.

Just then, there was a quiet growling sound. Marinette looked down at herself and her face went even darker.

 _'Stupid stomach!'_ Marinette thought, completely embarrassed.

"Sounds like you're hungry. Well, it's almost lunch time anyway," Adrien commented, looking at the clock. "Did you bring something to eat?"

"Oh, um, yes, I did!" Marinette said, and then she started to try looking for her lunch. She always packed her lunch in a cute bento box container that was pink with white polka dots and had a black floral pattern on it. She for it in her bag, under her desk, and on her desk. But no matter where she looked, she could not find it.

 _'Crap! I forgot it!'_ Marinette thought, paling. _'I must have left it in the fridge back home!'_

Adrien saw that Marinette had frozen up. He noticed that she had looked like she had realized something and was really embarrassed about it.

"You forgot to bring your lunch?" Adrien asked, looking worried.

Marinette gave a sheepish nod before saying, "I'm so clumsy..."

 _'I know you are. But that's one of the reasons I love you. Looks like my compliment did the job. Better keep it going.'_ Adrien thought, chuckling a little bit.

Marinette frowned, clearly not happy about getting teased. Adrien's laughter settled down and then he cleared his throat.

"Listen, Marinette, let me treat you to lunch, just this once. What kind of gentleman would I be if I let a lady go hungry today?" Adrien asked, giving Marinette one of his Cat Noir smiles.

Marinette once again saw something familiar about Adrien's grinning face. She took a deep breath and was about to politely turn Adrien down as always, but then her stomach yowled again.

"I... I'd like that." Marinette stiffly said, blushing and thinking, _'Wait, why am I taking him up on his offer for lunch all of a sudden? Is it because I'm hungry, or...?'_

Marinette was now completely confused. She had no problem turning down Adrien's requests before. What was different this time? That is, besides not having anything to eat?

Adrien smiled and gave a nod before gently taking Marinette's hand. Her eyes widened a bit and her heart skipped a beat.

"Shall we?" Adrien asked, with a dashing smile. "I know a great place that I frequent a lot."

"Oh, I..." Marinette began, but before she knew it, Adrien was leading her out of the office building. Marinette could just _hear_ the gossiping of her coworkers and _feel_ the pinpricks of their stares on her back.

Marinette felt uncomfortable with all of the unpleasant attention that she was getting from the other women, but decided to let it go. It was only lunch with a friend, after all.

Before she knew it, Adrien had brought her to a restaurant near the office. Judging from the exterior, it was an upscale establishment that was known for high-end food. Food that Marinette was certain that Adrien was used to.

"A-Adrien, this place is out of my price range!" Marinette protested. "I can't pay for it!"

"Don't worry, Marinette," Adrien insisted. "Remember, I'm treating you today. It's a reasonable place, and the food is top notch. In fact, they have burgers on the menu!"

Burgers, an American staple, were becoming very high in demand in France. Restaurants would put their own spin on the sandwich with regional cheeses, local and gourmet fixings, and house-made breads.

"Really?" Marinette asked. "I've had them at other places. I have to say that I can understand why they're so popular in America."

"Yeah, I can't wait to try one!" Adrien said, enthusiastically.

"Really? You've never eaten one before?" Marinette asked.

"Yeah, my father has me on a strict diet when he needs me to model, so I've never had a burger before." Adrien admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, now's your chance to try one!" Marinette encouraged with a smile.

Adrien led Marinette inside the restaurant, never letting go of her hand. Deep down, he was flat-out _refusing_ to let go. Just feeling her soft skin against his own was heaven. He never got to experience this when he saw her as Cat Noir because he was always wearing his gloves.

For Marinette, she still felt a little weird holding Adrien's hand like this. It was like she was cuddling with her beloved cat burglar, but it made her wonder if she was _that_ fickle.

Once they were shown to their table, Marinette went to take her seat, but Adrien beat her to the punch. He pulled Marinette's chair out for her. Marinette, pleasantly surprised, sat down, and Adrien gently pushed her back in. He then took his seat across from her, and gave Marinette another model smile.

Adrien chuckled before picking up the menu. Marinette was also looking at her menu, but she was having a hard time focusing.

 _'I... I don't get it! Adrien's acting strange.'_ Marinette thought. _'This isn't like him.'_

She had known Adrien for a while, and she had never seen her friend behave this way. There was just something about what he was doing and how he was treating her that was giving her butterflies in her stomach. And worse still, her face was _still_ as red as a ladybug.

Adrien made his choice and put his menu down. He was giving Marinette a sultry look on his face, and the girl in question was still hiding her face behind her menu. Marinette lowered her menu and tried her best to look Adrien in the eyes with no problem.

"Well, Bugaboo, I must say you're looking ravishing today." Adrien said, as he winked at Marinette.

Marinette blushed again and her eyes were bigger than teacup saucers. She shrunk down a bit before saying, "Th-Th-Thank you..."

"Red and black are truly your colors, Marinette." Adrien said, stunning the girl silent.

Marinette was just getting more and more confused. She kept examining him.

 _'Is he flirting with me?'_ Marinette thought, baffled. She was lost for words because Adrien was not acting like his usual self. What was going on with him?

Normally when they talked, Adrien was a little emotionally closed-off and somewhat formal. They usually discussed her designs or other random things, such as Ultimate Mecha Strike, their shared favorite video game series. He would confide in Marinette about his troubles, and she would sometimes vent to him. And Marinette always made an effort not to say or do anything that made him feel like he was just "Gabriel Agreste's son," "the heir to the Gabriel brand," or anything that made him feel like he was not his own person. For him to flirt with her so blatantly was very strange and it left her completely speechless.

But... it felt good. _Really_ good.

Adrien kept smiling at her, as if he were blissfully unaware that she was blushing and unable to speak. However, he was _fully_ aware of it. In fact, this was the result he was aiming for.

"So... What looked good to you?" Marinette asked, trying to make conversation with her friend. She was hiding her reddened face behind the menu.

"Other than _you_ _?_ " Adrien flirtatiously asked. Marinette blushed and giggled with a goofy smile on her face. Seeing this, Adrien chuckled.

"Y-Yes... What looked good on the menu to you?" Marinette inquired, trying to steer the conversation back to their lunch.

"The burger sounded _damn good,_ "Adrien said. "So I'm going to chow down on one of those."

"All this talk about burgers is making _me_ crave one," Marinette giggled, feeling more at ease. "I guess I've decided, too."

She put down her own menu and looked at Adrien with no problem.

After that, it was smooth sailing during their lunch. They each ordered the burger. When they came out, the burgers were savory piles of top-grade chopped beef, seasoned with salt, pepper, and the robust aromas of oregano and thyme. The beef was sitting on top of emerald-green arugula, and blanketed in a thick slab of yellow-ivory chabichou cheese. The patty was comfortably nestled in between the chewy interior pieces of amber-gold baguette. True to Americana cuisine, they had served a side of fried rosemary potatoes, cut into thick matchsticks.

"Wow, this looks great!" Adrien said. He was practically drooling a river.

"Yeah, it does!" Marinette agreed.

She picked up her burger and sank her teeth into it. As she pierced the the baguette, the buttery top crust shattered. The cheese, beef, arugula, and bread all went inside Marinette's mouth like they were at a fancy ball, and every ingredient on the burger was dancing with each other in perfect sync, not a single item overtaking the other. The beef was the one leading the dance, sharing a friendly back-and-forth with the arugula and the chabichou.

" _Damn_ , this is _DELICIOUS!_ No wonder these things are getting popular." Adrien said, wiping his face with a napkin. He resisted the urge to belch.

"I know," Marinette agreed. "Burgers _are_ pretty good. I see why Americans go nuts over them."

"Yeah. My father would tear me a new one for eating what he would call "rabble roughage," but what he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?" Adrien joked.

He and Marinette shared a laugh at this. She was getting very comfortable with talking with her friend. But the fact that he was flirting with her was still not far behind in her thoughts. And more importantly, how would _Cat Noir_ react to the news of her friend flirting with her, especially since she _liked it?!_

* * *

After lunch, the rest of the day came and went. Marinette tried her best not to focus on Adrien's behavior. Later that evening, when Marinette got home, she unlocked the door to her apartment and walked in, as if nothing was wrong.

She shut and locked the door and then kicked off her shoes. She slipped into some nice, cozy slippers and walked through the apartment to get to her bedroom.

Once she was in the privacy of her own space, she sighed and slunk to the floor of her room.

"Just _what the hell_ was _that_ all about?!" Marinette cried, baffled at her friend's behavior.

Yes, it was normal for Adrien to ask her out for lunch or dinner almost every time he was in, but he was never so... So... _Forward_. He was usually pretty introverted, only really coming out of his shell when the topic was video games or new shoujo anime. Basically anything that _was NOT_ related to his father or fashion (unless it was her designs they were talking about).

But what could suddenly make him act the way he did at lunch today? Flirting with her, being a gentleman, joking around? That was _not_ a side to him she had ever seen before. She was caught unaware, but she found Adrien's behavior... Charming. And again, there was something strangely familiar about it, too. But what?

Outside, Cat Noir was sitting on a nearby rooftop, waiting for Marinette to come home.

"Well, let's just see how she liked "Adrien's" new moves today. Was is disarmingly endearing?" Cat Noir asked aloud to no one in particular. He chuckled to himself, a little smug.

Once her light came on, Cat Noir took his baton and extended it so he could get to Marinette's balcony in a short amount of time.

There was a slight thud from outside. Marinette turned to the French door that led to her balcony. She could see Cat Noir through the panes. He was sitting on the railing like a cat on a fence and was giving her a cheeky smile.

Marinette stood from her bed and went outside to see her secret beau.

"Evening, Cat." Marinette said, blushing and looking at Cat Noir.

 _"Bonne_ _soirée, mon cher,"_ Cat Noir said, getting off the railing and then pulling Marinette into an embrace. Marinette snuggled closer to him, feeling safe. "How was your day today?"

"Weird." Marinette said. There was just no other way to put it.

"Weird? How so?" Cat Noir asked, quirking a brow.

"Well..." Marinette began, but she paused to consider what she was going to say. Was it _really_ a smart idea to talk to Cat Noir about this? If he really _did_ have a lot of tendencies akin to his namesake, then she might put Adrien in danger. She pulled away from Cat Noir and looked him in the eyes.

"Promise not to do anything to anyone if I tell you?" Marinette asked of her lover.

"Cat's honor." Cat Noir replied, putting a hand to his heart and holding up another one in promise.

Marinette gave an approving nod, feeling less guilty about venting to him about Adrien.

"Thing is... I have this friend from work." Marinette began, crossing her arms and leaning on the railing.

"A friend?" Cat Noir asked, quirking a brow up. _'She means me.'_

"Yeah, his name is Adrien. He and I have been friends for a while. Since my first day on the job, actually. He's the son of my boss," Marinette explained, not mentioning names. "And... Well, today he was just acting really weird."

"How so?" Cat Noir inquired. "Or rather, how does he normally act?"

"Well, Adrien's sort of reserved. It doesn't help that the majority of people just treat him like, and I quote, "the son of the boss," so he tends to feel isolated. So, when people treat him like a normal person, that's when he really opens up. And even then he doesn't really rant or vent much. He usually just listens to what I have to say." Marinette began.

"So, what was different today?" Cat Noir asked.

"Well, whenever Adrien _is_ in the building, he always goes the extra mile to talk to me. _ME_ , out of _all_ of the women in the office. And he'll always ask me out to have lunch or dinner with him. He gets to the point, and when we talk about my designs, he has no problem complimenting me or giving me advice. But _today_ , he asked me out to lunch as always... And I accepted." Marinette explained, blushing.

"What changed your mind this time?" Cat Noir inquired of her.

"Aside from forgetting my lunch, Adrien... he was just blatantly flirting with me. He called me "sweeter than chocolate," to start with. And even _when_ we were at the restaurant, he was much more open than usual," Marinette said. "He was being chivalrous by pulling my chair out for me and he was joking around without any problem."

"Really?" Cat Noir said, acting surprised.

"I don't know what was going on in his head," Marinette said. "It completely threw me off, got me all flustered... But overall, I had a great time. Adrien... Acted a little bit like you."

"I see." Cat Noir stated, as if he was not bothered by this information at all.

But he _had_ to have been a _little_ bothered by another man flirting with her, right?! Maybe he was one of those types of people who got angry on the inside and did not let it show unless they were alone? Or was it something else entirely?

His silence was bugging Marinette and she knew that she was wrong for not discouraging Adrien's advances.

"I'm sorry... I should have shot his flirting down, or told him I was seeing someone, _something_ , but..." Marinette said, unsure of how to continue.

"Don't worry, _chéri,_ " Cat Noir said, kissing Marinette's cheek and then hugging her close. "I know you'd never tell anyone about us. If you mentioned that you had a boyfriend, you'd be bombarded with demands for answers, and that would put you in a tight spot."

"Thanks, Cat," Marinette said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're so understanding."

"It's no problem, my Princess," Cat Noir murmured, gently running his hand up and down her back, being careful of his claws. "So... Did his flirting bother you?"

Marinette grew nervous at this question. How was Cat Noir going to react? Was he going to act like a jealous cat and get angry with Adrien? On the other hand, he _did_ promise to leave Adrien alone, so she had no reason to distrust him... But still, what would he say or do?!

"Well?" Cat gently prodded.

Marinette swallowed a lump in her throat. Might as well come out with it and tell him the truth.

"N... No, it didn't." Marinette stated, her face red. There was _no way_ she was going to tell him that she actually _liked_ Adrien's flirting. What would he think?

Cat Noir looked at her sweet face, and saw how flushed it was. He did not say a word. Seeing him fall silent, Marinette started to let her fears eat away at her. Tears were at the back of her eyes, threatening to break the dam.

"I... I know, I... I'm horrible, aren't I?!" Marinette cried, starting to cry into his chest.

Marinette's stomach started to feel sick. How could she?! How could she have a steady boyfriend that she loved so much, and yet feel happy about another man hitting on her?! Now she would never have her dreams of a future with Cat Noir because he was certain to dump her right then and there!

Cat Noir saw that Marinette was sniveling and bawling in his chest. She must have felt _so_ embarrassed and/or disgusted with herself. Seeing her this upset, and knowing it was his fault, made his stomach churn with guilt. He wanted to soothe her and assure her that he loved her. Thus, he started to kiss Marinette on her forehead repeatedly. He also placed tender smooches on her cheeks and lips, trying to ease Marinette's fears.

"Don't worry, _mon coeur_ ," Cat Noir purred, causing shivers of pleasure to shoot up and down Marinette's body. "I'm not mad. In fact, I don't blame him for wanting your attention. He would have to be brain-dead not to. You're _that_ desirable."

Hearing this helped Marinette to relax and feel a bit better. Her crying slowed down as Cat Noir kept giving her reassuring kisses. As a result, Marinette felt safe, comfortable, and _loved_ by her burglar boyfriend. And even though someone else hit on her, he was not jealous. She was still hiccuping and sobbing now and again.

Cat Noir gathered Marinette up in his arms and held her in a bridal carry. Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck, and he gently brought her inside her room. He used his foot to close the door behind him.

Cat Noir gently cradled her in his arms as he walked over to her bed. Marinette, realizing where they were headed, grew nervous. Was he planning on...?!

Instead, her bad boy boyfriend gently placed her on her bed and stroked her cheek with the back of his gloved hand. He gave her a tender, affectionate smile. Marinette looked up at him as he walked back to the door, completely confused.

"You've had a long day, and I have some other things I need to take care of, _mon bug d'amour_ ," Cat Noir said. "I'll see you soon."

He left out the door and jumped off the balcony, leaving Marinette to lie on her bed and think over the day's events.

* * *

Marinette once again came into the office, _still_ thinking about her interactions with Adrien and Cat Noir from the previous day. She got _no sleep_ last night. Marinette had nightmares about being caught in a love triangle between herself, Adrien, and Cat Noir. Every end result was _BAD_ because someone got hurt in the end. And every time she tried to dream about something else, her fears came back and she was back in the love triangle nightmares. It was a vicious cycle that only ended when her alarm started going off.

To add insult to injury, her only fuel that morning was breakfast and coffee. So, she was practically a zombie until she got into work.

She was making a beeline for her cube, trying to wake herself up and get back on track. This was _not_ the time or place to be worried about her love life. She was about to clock in, there was no room for romanticizing.

Marinette began walking straight to her desk, only to bump into someone.

"Oops! Sorry." Marinette said, dusting herself off. She looked up and saw Adrien, who was holding a bouquet of red chrysanthemums, gloxinias, orchids, and forget-me-nots.

"Oh, there you are, Marinette!" Adrien said, happy to see her. "I've been looking for you."

"You have?" Marinette asked, quirking a brow.

"Yep!" Adrien said, a smile on his face. He then presented the bouquet to Marinette. "I got you these."

Marinette's eyes widened and crossed at the flowers in her face and she gently took the flowers into her hands.

"Wow... These are beautiful," Marinette said. "I... I don't know what to say."

"What the hell?! Why is he giving _her_ flowers?!" "I always _thought_ he had his eye on that little vixen!" "Ladies, calm down and leave her alone. Marinette's never shown any romantic interest in him before." "You're right. She's sure to shoot him down again."

Marinette heard everything the women were saying, but this time it was even harder to let it roll off her back. Workplace gossip was always a hazard she wanted to avoid as much as possible.

Once Marinette looked up at Adrien again, she saw he was giving her a cheeky smile.

"Read the card." Adrien said, eager to see Marinette's reaction.

Now that he mentioned it, Marinette noticed there was a red, heart-shaped card tied to the bouquet. She opened it up and read it aloud.

 _"Roses are red, violets are blue  
The only thing sweeter than honey is you!_

 _Sugar is sweet, lemons are sour  
You're in my head every minute of every hour!_

 _Amour, Adrien Agreste"_

Marinette's mind was blown and she looked between the card and Adrien. Her face went red, and her heart started to beat a mile a minute.

"I... Um... Well..." Marinette began, not sure what course of action to take.

 _'What do I do?! Accept the flowers and give him the wrong idea? Or tell him that I have a boyfriend and risk getting interrogated by him?!'_ Marinette thought.

"So, what do you think?" Adrien asked.

"I... I'm very flattered," Marinette began, holding the flowers close. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Adrien said, smiling brightly and laughing. He then gave her lidded eyes and a smirk. "The saying goes, "flowers say "Je suis désolé," chocolate says "je t'aime." I'm sure you know that saying, right?"

"Y-Yes, I do." Marinette said, surprised that Adrien would say that.

Keeping his current expression on, he took a step closer and seductively, huskily whispered in Marinette's ear, "But who says flowers _can't_ say "je t'aime," too?"

He leaned away, leaving Marinette flustered, red as the chrysanthemums. She stared at the flowers, realizing the internal message that they were sending her. Once the message dawned on her, her face went an even _darker_ shade of red. Like red wine.

Her knees were getting weaker and she was having trouble standing up. Her mind was blank, the only thing there being, _'I don't understand! I can expect those kinds of lines from_ _Cat Noir, but_ Adrien?! _What's gotten into him?!'_

Marinette watched as Adrien sauntered away. He turned back to Marinette, his suave expression still there, and said, "Enjoy the flowers, Bugaboo. I'll see you later."

"Don't...!" Marinette began, once again about to chastise him for the nickname, but then something in her clicked. She _liked it_ for once. Her heart was pounding, her face was still red, and she watched as Adrien walked away.

A smile quirked up on her face and she could swear that hearts were bubbling out of her head. She was thinking, _'I may not know what's gotten under his collar, but... I like it.'_

Marinette looked at the bouquet in her hands and kept smiling at it. She buried her face in the blooms and turned around, making her way to her space.

Unknown to her, Adrien had hidden himself behind a wall and watched Marinette from behind. She definitely looked happy and was gazing at the flowers.

Adrien smiled, delighted at the sight. After he had met up with her as Cat Noir the previous night, he realized what he was doing was working. So, first thing that morning, he had gone to a flower shop and purchased the bouquet, and he had the shop write the message on the card.

 _'Yes! It worked!'_ Adrien thought, smirking in triumph.

Ready to put the next step into action, Adrien snuck off before his father could catch him and ask what he was doing. _That_ would be a nice conversation.

Marinette, on the other hand, was sitting at her desk and looking at the flowers. She was smiling and imagining Adrien's face... Over the past few days, she had seen a whole new side to him. She saw that he was able to make jokes, he could be suave when he wanted to be, and was opening up more about his personal life than normal. And for some reason, whenever she thought of Cat Noir, Adrien's face popped up instead and vice-versa.

Marinette kept thinking about her blonde friend and black cat beau, but her heart and stomach sank like a stone in an instant. She got chills down her spine when she came to an epiphany, and it made her feel like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her head.

"Wh-What am I doing?!" Marinette said to herself in whispers. "I... I'm so stupid! I... I have a boyfriend, but... I like Adrien! _A lot_... I... I'm a horrid excuse of a woman!"

She knew that she was in no right to be in a relationship with either one of them if her feelings were all screwed up. Just the thought of it made her want to throw up.

Marinette pushed the flowers away from her, and she then buried her face into her folded arms on her desk. She began to quietly sob a little bit.

 _'I guess I have no choice...'_ Marinette thought. She decided she did what she had to do. _'I'm going to have to put the cat out until I can figure out what I_ really _want.'_

She stood up and got back to work, refusing to let her coworkers see her cry.

* * *

That evening, Cat Noir had once again made his way to Marinette's balcony, ready to continue his efforts to woo her. But he was about to walk into something unexpected.

"Good evening, _mon amour_ ," Cat Noir said, walking into Marinette's bedroom through the balcony door. He shut it behind him as always. "How are you this... Evening?"

His ears picked up sobs and cries, sniffling and sniveling, choking and hiccuping. He looked up and his jaw dropped a little bit at the scene in front of him.

There was Marinette, sitting on her bed, crying her eyes out against her pillow. She was wearing sweat pants, a comfortable T-shirt, and was crying her eyes out. When she had gotten home that afternoon, she let the dam break and had started bawling into her pillow like a baby. And seeing Marinette like this was completely foreign to Cat Noir. He had never seen her like this, not even as Adrien. He was confused, scared, and worried about his lady love.

"M-Marinette?! _Chéri?!_ " Cat Noir asked, shocked. He came a bit closer to the crying woman, hoping to ease her pain.

Hearing his voice, Marinette lifted her head to face him. Her makeup was smudged, her hair was a mess, and she just looked like an utter wreck. When they made eye contact, Marinette shrunk back and started crying again.

"Marinette, what's wrong?!" Cat Noir asked, frantic.

"G-Get out! Please!" Marinette screamed, throwing the pillow at him. "I don't want to see you!"

Cat Noir dodged the pillow, making his way to the door. She didn't want to see him?! What happened?! She was always happy to see him, what made her change her tune?!

"Marinette, what's the matter?!" Cat Noir inquired, begging for an answer.

"We... We... We're _done_ , okay?!" Marinette sobbed, spitting it out.

Done? _Done?!_ As in their relationship was over?! Meaning she never wanted to see him again?! She wanted nothing more to do with him?!

"Y... You're breaking up with me?!" Cat Noir asked, heart sinking. "Wh-Why?!"

What the hell?! She was ending things with him?! What brought this on? Cat Noir gave her a desperate and sad face, as if pleading for answers.

"I... I'm a horrible woman and I don't deserve you, that's why! I can't see you anymore! Not until I sort my own feelings out!" Marinette explained, wiping her tears away.

"Sort your feelings out...?" Cat Noir repeated. His heart was filled with heartache at being dumped, but at the same time, hopeful that her reasons were what he wished they were.

"You know that I love you, but... But... I've fallen for Adrien, too!" Marinette admitted, before hugging another pillow. "And that isn't fair to either one of you! I can't pursue anything with either one of you until I know what I want and how I feel! And I know you wouldn't hurt him on my behalf, but... But...!"

Marinette continued sobbing her eyes out, expecting Cat Noir to be angry, hurt, heartbroken, sad...

But contrary to that, Cat Noir's heart was soaring at this news. She was in love with both sides of the same man! And now that he had succeeded, he just had to tell her the truth... And hope he got a happy ending with her.

Marinette kept sobbing and crying into the pillow, completely sick to her stomach. She heard Cat Noir suck in a breath... And then he was _laughing_ _?!_

Marinette looked up and saw Cat Noir laughing like a hyena, as if her crying was all a joke and he found it hilarious. She was absolutely appalled that he was finding any of this funny. She certainly did _not_.

Cat Noir calmed down and then he looked at Marinette with happiness. He took a deep breath and said, "Well, this simplifies things."

" _Simplifies?_ Don't you mean _complicates?_ And shouldn't you be _heartbroken_ _?_ " Marinette asked, utterly baffled and angered by this.

Cat Noir smirked again. Did he know something? Something really important? Because that was _definitely_ what it sounded like.

"No, I really do mean "simplifies," Marinette. And why would I be heartbroken over this?" Cat Noir said, as he walked over to Marinette with a big smile on his face. "If anything, this is the best piece of news in my whole life."

He kneeled down in front of her. He lifted up a hand and took the glove off. He used his bare hand to cup Marinette's cheek and gently stroke it, like when they first met.

"Marinette... Oh, _mon bien-aimé_ Marinette..." Cat Noir softly spoke.

Marinette was totally confused. She just _broke up_ with him, but he was reacting as if she admitted her undying love to him like in a romance novel. What was going on?

"Cat, I..." Marinette asked, trying to make sense of what was happening. He put a finger to his lips, as if to gently hush her.

Cat Noir took his hand away and removed his other glove. Still smiling, he said, "Marinette, there's something I have to tell you... Or rather, _show_ you."

Marinette raised a brow in confusion. Still down on one knee, Cat Noir removed the cat ears on his head, and extracted a hair comb out of his pocket. He combed his hair back a bit, and Marinette began to recognize that blonde coif.

Her eyes widened as Cat Noir moved his naked hands to his mask. Her breath caught and a hand snapped up to her mouth as Cat Noir took his mask off... To reveal _Adrien Agreste_. He let the black cloth fall to the ground, before opening his now-human green eyes to gaze at her with all of the love in the world.

 _"A-Adrien?!"_ Marinette squeaked, completely floored. "You-! I-! Wha-! Why-?!"

She was rambling on, trying to find the right words to say, meanwhile Adrien was chuckling like nothing was happening. All this time, she had been romantically involved with Adrien?! The man she used to only see as a friend?! She had too many questions, and not enough answers. And the person with those answers was in front of her, smiling brightly and perfectly collected.

"I don't understand...?!" Marinette began, on the verge of tears again. "Why would you do this?!"

"Marinette, I'll explain everything from the top," Adrien said. "When you first came into the office, I was captivated. Fell in love with you in an instant. I tried asking you out multiple times as Adrien, but you always turned me down. It hurt every time, but I never gave up hope that I could find a way to win you over."

Marinette listened to Adrien explain himself. She was still baffled at the reality that Adrien Agreste, the son of her boss, _and_ one of Paris' top models was also Paris' top criminal _and_ her lover.

"That night when you first met Cat Noir... I had recognized your voice from your scream, and intended on coming to your rescue to begin wooing you..." Adrien explained, but then he chuckled again. "But you saved yourself, so I had to try something else."

"So... When we first met - er, excuse me, when I first met Cat Noir - when you were giving me all those flattering statements..." Marinette asked.

"My true feelings for you," Cat Noir stated, continuing to stroke Marinette's cheek. "The ones I couldn't breathe life into. And I wanted you to love me. _All_ of me. So I decided to channel my criminal side as Adrien to make sure you would fall in love with the whole person. And tonight just proved that it worked."

He took one of Marinette's hands into both of his own and started kissing it, making smacking noises that left Marinette blushing and dizzy.

Marinette was relieved. She was so bent out of shape over thinking she was in love with two men when it was really falling in love with both sides of the same guy. She was so relieved that she started crying tears of joy. The salt water streamed down her face while her lips were quirked up into a grin.

Adrien looked up from her hand to her face. Seeing her react the way she was melted Adrien's heart like a piece of chocolate in his mouth. Beginning to tenderly stroke her head with one hand while rubbing his thumb over her lips with the other, he gave her a smoldering, intensely passionate stare.

"C-Cat... Adrien... I..." Marinette sobbed happily. Adrien took this opportunity to place a kiss on her lips.

He stood up, lifting her off the bed with his strong arms. They had just enough muscle that it was noticeable under the skin-tight material.

Adrien, still kissing her, did not hesitate to ask for more. He gently poked his tongue at her bottom lip, and Marinette opened her mouth to allow entry. As their tongues continued to dance with each other, Adrien used one hand to pull his bell down, which turned out to be a zipper. He unzipped the top of his suit and slipped it off, letting it fall to the floor, forgotten.

Now that his upper body was bare, Marinette broke her mouth away from Adrien's, and she looked him over. Her desire-filled eyes saw how toned his muscles were. Adrien took Marinette's hands with both of his own and gently placed them behind his neck, before diving back in for more kisses.

He kept kissing up and down her jawline and neck, running his hands through her hair, all while Marinette was biting her tongue, lest she lose impassioned moans. Unable to hold it back, she let one out, and Adrien responded with a smirk and more kisses and sweet nips.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng... _Je t'adore, ma chérie_." Adrien huskily whispered.

Marinette was already hot and bothered, but now even more so. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she was not sure what to do.

Adrien gently fell on the bed, with Marinette underneath him. Her face was flushed red like the roses he first gifted her with, her blue eyes ardent with lust, her chest rising and falling from the exertion, and her hair unruly and all over the pillow as if she were underwater.

"Can we...?" Adrien quietly asked.

Marinette gave a nod, and then Adrien's hands made his way to her shirt...

The next morning, the sun spilled in through the balcony door, illuminating the room Though it was coming behind, it was bright enough to wake Adrien up. His green eyes slowly opened and he saw his sweet, darling Marinette sleeping peacefully in his arms. He started rubbing up and down her bare back with his hands, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Marinette stirred and woke up, her eyes slowly blinking.

"Morning, my love." Adrien murmured, a smile on his face.

"Good morning, Adrien," Marinette said, blushing. "Wow... Last night was... Just wow."

"I know. And I hope for many more." Adrien said, kissing Marinette on the forehead.

Marinette giggled and cuddled up against him, before saying, "Me, too."

They shared another hug, both content to lie on the bed for a while.

Now that the cat was out of the bag, Adrien was looking forward to the future. He was already internally planning his wedding, and one of the details was that Marinette would be making her dress.

"So... What do you think of names for kids?" Adrien asked.

"One step at a time, tomcat," Marinette joked. "One step at a time."

Adrien laughed along with her. She would not admit it, but Marinette was dreaming of her future with Adrien, too. Their future children, living situation, jobs, and everything.

Adrien saw the tell-tale blush on her face and he smirked before giving her one more kiss on her temple.

Yes, everything was _definitely_ going according to plan.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! Before you ask, _yes_ , I wasn't kidding about burgers being a trending food item in France. And here's the guide of flower meanings for you:**

 **Red Chrysanthemum - I love you**

 **Gloxinia - Love at first sight**

 **Orchid - Love, beauty, or beautiful lady**

 **Forget-me-not - True love**


End file.
